Children of the Night

Reading "Children of the Night" by Dan Simmons was spellbinding for me. I tire easily with the same, simplistic vampire biting storylines, and was unsure as to whether or not I would enjoy this book, but once I read the first page, my mind changed. I followed all that the characters had done down to the tee, and was especially thrilled by the thoughts of Vlad himself. This isn't the usual 'bite on the neck' story. Dan Simmons actually delves into the past of Vlad, what really happened, and even what his thoughts might have been. I read this book in one day and wanted more. This is an excellent book to read, and Dan Simmons did an exquisite job.

A while ago I wrote a review of "Summer of Night" and without realizing what I was doing, called this book a sequel to that book . . . I wasn't completely wrong, this is a spiritual successor to that book, one of the characters from "Summer" plays a big role in events and some of the other characters get at least one mention. The theme couldn't be any more different though. Simmons makes the book work on two levels here, trying to tell a thrilling suspense story while at the same time turning the vampire myth completely inside out. That's right, what he does here is propose a scientific mechanism (based on a recessive mutation) why they have to drink blood and what that means. This all comes about when the original Vlad Dracula decides that it's time to die and decrees that a new heir must be invested. Unfortunately the heir gets adopted by an American doctor, who tries to figure out why the baby can go from almost dead to perfectly healthy just be a blood transfusion. The science part of all of this is fascinating, some of it might be a little more science than people will want to read and if you're not well versed in biology or genetics a good part of it you're just going to have to take on faith and assume he did his research well. As far as I can tell, everything checks out so hats off to Simmons for taking the time. So all goes well until the vampires figure out where the kid went and go to get him back. At this point all the science takes a backseat for a cloak and dagger "let's sneak into a hostile foreign country where anyone could be a spy for the enemy and get the kid out before we're discovered and killed" at which point things become a little more generic but at the same time what sets this apart is Simmons' masterful gift for crafting the perfect sentence to set a mood, he's not as detailed in his descriptions as he has been in the past but he pulls out a good one when he needs to. The action is burtal and intense, the quieter moments are touching, you can't trust anyone, and it all comes to a rousing conclusion that you may or may not see coming (it didn't strike me until just before the end). Not "horror" per se, more of a dark adventure but ranks at the very least as one of his most entertaining and inventive books.

Dan Simmons is a wonderful, talented writer who doesn't write on a 12 year old level. This book is more than just a quick thrill, but a wonderfully researched and realized novel with wonderful development, plot, suspense and characters. If you're looking for a cheap thrill, don't read this novel - if you're looking for a mature, realized vision of a vampirism, this is the book for you! A wonderful read even if you're not into vampires and 'horror' stories.

It has the external grip of a good mystery and yet the ineffable pull of a tragedy. The portrayal of the vampire is heart-quickening, tender, even philosophical. The dark, haunting imagery of Romania is dreamlike.